Recorded at the 2024 GBF Spring Retreat at Vajrapani Institute, April 18, 2024
The audio version begins with a chanting session; the talk begins at 29:50
A Primer for Entering Retreat
Though much of our practice may be solitary, retreat can be a time to emphasize the richness of shared spiritual life. In addition to a collective, interwoven practice, retreats can also call us to go deeper by getting real with ourselves and our lives—especially as we age—by integrating parts of our experience we may have once left out.
In this rich talk, Sean Feit Oakes introduces two classic Buddhist paths of practice:
- Samatha (calming/centering) – Settling the mind, working with energy, and cultivating samadhi (deep stillness and stability).
- Vipassana (insight/clarity) – Cultivating profound vision through investigation and curiosity.
Working with Energies and Hindrances
To help us deepen in practice, Sean explores the Five Hindrances that obstruct samadhi (steadiness and joy in meditation):
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Sensual Desire – Wanting pleasurable contact through the senses.
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Ill Will – Pushing away what’s unpleasant.
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Sloth and Torpor – Dullness, laziness, low energy.
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Restlessness and Worry – Nervous energy, mental spinning.
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Doubt – The inner voice that says, “Why bother?”
He frames these not just as mental issues, but as energetic and nervous system responses, sometimes linked to trauma. By recognizing and working with them skillfully—through breath, movement, and compassionate awareness—we begin to transform how we relate to both ourselves and the world. Sean encourages us to honor the retreat space as a rare, nourishing environment to practice this kind of healing deeply and joyfully.
Growing Into Wisdom
In the second part of the talk, Sean reflects on how emotional and spiritual maturation—like growing out of youthful obsessions—mirrors the process of deepening into wisdom. With time and perspective, we don’t just gain knowledge—we develop wisdom, the kind that helps us meet life’s fluctuations with calm and clarity. Sean likens enlightenment to “absolute maturity,” and highlights how true elderhood is earned through long engagement with life’s joys and losses.
The Heart of the Dharma
Sean underscores how real spiritual maturity requires presence with suffering, not turning away. He honors the wisdom found in queer communities, where grief, loss, and resilience have shaped a unique kind of elderhood. He offers a gentle but strong call to become lights on the path for others—through:
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Steadiness of heart and mind,
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Clarity that comes from facing impermanence,
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Courage to stay with difficult emotions,
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Bright-hearted resilience that resists bitterness.
He closes by reminding us that the invitation of the Dharma is not just insight, but transformation—a deep, grounded presence in the world that benefits not just ourselves, but all beings.
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Sean Feit Oakes, PhD (he/him, queer, Puerto Rican & English ancestry, living on unceded Pomo land in NorCal), teaches Buddhism and somatic practice focusing on the integration of meditation, trauma resolution, and social justice. He received teaching authorization from Jack Kornfield, and wrote his dissertation on extraordinary states in Buddhist meditation and experimental dance. He teaches at Spirit Rock Meditation Center, East Bay Meditation Center, Insight Timer, and locally. Learn more at https://SeanFeitOakes.com